My prayers that that subsidy be reconsidered that the deficit not be on the backs of people.

Costco was just bluffing when they said they wouldn't put a store in Wheaton without a gas station, given that they are moving forward with the store without approval for the gas station. I can only assume they are bluffing when they say they won't put a store there without the $4 million taxpayer subsidy.

DCGUY is correct - Westfield is the direct recipient of the subsidy for the specific purpose of construction for Costco. How that affects their leasing with Costco is another question. Thanks for the comment.

@Steve, even without this EDF grant, Westfield and Costco will be receiving millions in tax credits from County and State because Wheaton is an Enterprise Zone
@Darin, you forget about the initial bluff - the "time" argument - originally they were saying Special Exception (the regulated way of applying for a gas station) would take too long, so it took us nearly a year to defeat a Zoning Text Amendment that would have fast-tracked the gas station as spot zoning, thereby bypassing the customary community input and additional environmental studies. So really, it's been a Texas-Hold-Em game the entire time.
@DCGUY, to be very specific, the $4M goes to Westfield for construction of the first floor underneath the Costco.
@Taylor Kate, how the County grant to Westfield affects leasing with Costco a good question indeed, considering Westfield and Costco signed a nation-wide deal.

@Danila, I agree with what you shared regarding your struggle with a Goliath, as I can recall years ago the struggles downtown, some won (Willard Hotel) and others lost (Rhodes Tavern), as I remember participating in the struggle to save our Tastee Diner in nearby Silver Spring, don't give up!

I wasn't in favor of Costco having a gas station, but I am in favor of the store. If anyone has ever gone to a Costco store they would see the number of people the company has working in them. In today's economy and national high unemployment rate, I believe growth is what we need now. Also, if we look at Montgomery County's record for attracting new big businesses and corporations, one would soon see that they are losing out constantly to neighboring Virginia. What are these council members who oppose the store doing to bring jobs and revenue to the county. You can't just keep raising taxes.

Walt

I don't really buy into the whole "Jobs"thing tied to this project. Costco pays between 11 and 16 dollars and hour. Which is pretty good in terms of retail jobs and they have a good reputation as a place to work. But let's then break that down. A forty hour work week and the high end pay scale will put you at $640 a week or 2560 a month. Lets take out taxes and social security say 28% which leaves you with $1843.20 for the month. Now let's go rent and apartment in Wheaton. Archstone in Wheaton (right across the street from Coscto) there you can get a One bedroom apartment for between $1549 and $1866 (look this up on For Rent.com) That should leave you nothing after rent for food, transportation, healthcare. So you can get some Food Stamps, perhaps a rent subsidy and if you get hurt you can go to one of the county health care facilities. So my point is that it costs a lot to live here in Montgomery County and we need to create jobs that pay better. Even creating upscale retail jobs like Costco is really just creating well .....POVERTY!

Long before the Montgomery County Council gives Costco/Westfield (really--the distinction here is irrelevant) a $4 million subsidy, they ought to invest in traffic improvements so that the pathways to Wheaton Mall can accommodate the increased traffic that Costco will cause. If you've ever tried to go to Wheaton Mall during the week before Christmas, you have a glimpse of the load that a high-demand store like Costco will create--year round.

Please, we are laying off our school's music teachers to give $4 Million to an Australian company so that they can bring a super-big box category-killer that will displace our local businesses and gas station owners? Council members who for this can be assured that we'll make sure that you're not elected again....

People in Wheaton want Costco. I am for the subsidy if it means getting business into Wheaton. Enough help goes to Bethesda and Ptomac. It is time to rejuvenate Wheaton, whatever it takes. Learning music is a privilege, living in a nice area is a right.

DCGUY - you obviously do not understand Wheaton. The key anchor tenant for Wheaton IS MUSIC! Who are going to be Chuck Levin's customers if students in the schools do not have music classes anymore? $4 million to Westfield = $4 million fewer customers for musical instruments = empty locally based retailer.

THIS IS WRONG!!!!!!!

I would love to believe that music students at Wheaton's schools are the ones keeping Chuck Levin's open. But probably Wheaton schools music students combined don't have purchase power equal to a few shoppers from outside Wheaton who will be driving to shop at Wheaton Costco. Maybe it is time that we look at the bigger picture and support sustainability of a town. I like Chuck Levin's, font get me wrong, but there is no sense in turning down business that will resurrect a town in order to protect a privilege that very very very few students at Wheaton's schools enjoy. If the $4mil will for sure be invested in Wheaton and only Wheaton, then I will say yea heck with the county subsidy to Westfield to build for Costco. I just want the 4 millions to benefit mostly the Wheaton area.

@Danila I don't love costco, don't shop there, don't have a membership and don't plan to shop there when they open at the mall. If costco doesn't come, what other alternatives do we have. We need more businesses to come to wheaton, but we failed to attract any new business to the area. To be honest,i feel very intimidated going into these small businesses in downtown wheaton and never go there to shop. If there isn't any chain that I'm familiar with that attracts me to go to downtown wheaton, I probably will not get accustomed to those little shops there. They all look tired and not inviting. They give a message to me that if they don't care about the appearance of their shops from the outside, why would they care about me or the quality of products they have. For now, I will stick to shopping at chain stores until maybe one day I feel invited to shop at those shops in downtown wheaton.

One of the things that makes Wheaton interesting is the fact that it's not riddled with a bunch of chain stores and chain restaurants (aside from the mall, of course). It's an ethnically diverse area with lots of mom and pop shops and I would hate to see that vibe die in order to make way for all the cookie cutter shops that dominate lots of other MoCo areas. No question - Wheaton needs a facelift and its economy needs revitalization but I hope it's done tactfully, innovatively, and CREATIVELY and not just hastily and half-assed. Tact, innovation and creativity don't really belong in the same sentence as Costco. It really isn't a good choice given the plan to make Wheaton walkable and mixed-use. Bottom line is that Wheaton has soul. It has SO much potential to be an interesting, funky, great place and Costco is one of the most soul-less and least innovative establishments in this country.

I've lived here, grown up here and have a business here. All I hear talk, talk talk . Whats really interesting is everybody is talking about the 4 million dollars. Here's a question for all opposed because they feel it's to much money, who put in the money to build the facades along ga ave, who paid for all new windows in the back of the stores along triangle lane, who paid for the sidewalks from dunkin donuts on up, who paid for the new parking lots on ga ave, who paid to have all the sidewalks and driveways torn up to put the pepco lines underground and run to the stores only to discover they can't do it, who paid to have Barrys magic shop removed and than paid Barry to move to Rockville.
Money is not the issue. Costco is a small piece, if they succeed other stores will follow and Wheaton will grow. None of the 22+landlords have said anything they stand to make alot more money off the decisions of others these are cash cows and all they want is for others to pay for the improvements and they will gain the rewards.

I applaud the Council for blocking the $4 million grant to Westfields/Costco. I think it makes more sense to use that money toward Montgomery County's much-needed services. Costco does not need the cash! Quarterly earnings of this company are in the billions ($18 to 20 billion every quarter). Westfields earned over $2 Billion, last year.

We should not sacrifice scarce tax dollars to services for a store to open in Wheaton, with a $4 million grant. They don't need the money but our county services surely do!

@ The K's...Amen to that!

The big picture to all of those who are opposed to Costco.... Another article from Gaithersburg Patch that might clarify and maybe persuade you to change your minds.

http://gaithersburg.patch.com/articles/missing-the-big-picture-on-costco

If Costco decided not to come, would the $4 million over two years be earmarked to go to other projects to benefit Wheaton?

@Jason I doubt that if the $4 million subsidy does not go to Westfield to lure Coctco, Wheaton may never see that money. If those Council members are really concened about Wheaton, then if they take the Costco subsidy away, they should allocate the $4 million for other initiatives in wheaton and only in WHEATON.

Costco is coming, with or without the subsidy. The location is just too good. It's the closest a Costco will be able to to get to the lucrative NW DC market and it is at the intersection of three major thoroughfares. Location, location, location! Unfortunately for Wheaton, the Costco will be plunked down in the middle of a residential area. There's a good reason Costco's are located in industrial areas. No one will be going to the local businesses if they can't get to them due to gridlock. Westfield and Costco are doing what giant businesses do, negotiating for the best deal they can get. They do this full time and employ hundreds, if not thousands, of people to focus on this. Neither company really needs the money, but it's worth the effort trying to get it. And for those who think Costco won't continue to pursue the gas station for many many years to come, dream on! As a long time Wheaton resident, I can also tel you that there is considerable opposition to the Costco among Wheaton residents, gas station or not. A large part of the problem is the lack of information and the continuing propagation of misinformation.

Costco and Westfield revenue iIF approved should benefit Wheaton AND Kensington, due to That Mall straddling boundaries of both communities, otherwise I can'y conscientiously support any subsidy...a compromise is worth looking into.

Agreed..When I said Wheaton, I mean the surrounding area, which absolutely includes Kensington. I just want to make sure that the subsidy, if removed from Westfield Costco in Wheaton, doesn't go to fund a park in Patomac or a project in Chevy Chase.

I had a revelation overnight... I am opposed to the County subsidy to build for Costco at Wheaton Mall. I would like to see the county divert that money to the 12 business owners of the Glenmont Shopping Center, located at the northeastern corner of Randolph and Georgia. For sure, the subsidy there will better serve the community, 12 small real-estate owners, and a couple dozens of businesses that are in the shopping center.

I agree that Wheaton should mean Wheaton and Kensington when it comes to the mall. As for giving 12 small real-estate owners $, I don't see how that will make that strip mall much better unless they bring back the duckpin bowling!

@Jason good point on that duckpin bowling, that's one of the places I went to in the 70s, also don't forget the Stained Glass Pub there if Costco would go to Glenmont in lieu of Wheaton.

About damn time! I HAVE BEEN AGAINST THE SUBSIDY ALL ALONG! MoCo gave Westfield a subsidy and built the new parking garage on University(behind the CVS where the used to be). Westfield--who banned us from having fireworks @ the may a few years back-- benefited. Westfield opened a Macys, closed the Hechts, and Im sure is charging Macys more rent since Macys has its own parking garage. What did Westfiled do in turn as a thanks? Nothing!

If Westfield wants Costco to come WESTFIELD NEEDS TO PAY FOR THE RENOVATIONS/ADDITIONS ITSELF. Not Montgoemry County taxpayers! Afterall Westfiled is reaping the most benefit.

@ yes definitely a new traffic pattern is def needed. The weeks leading to Xmas the Viers Mill Rd entrace looping road from ballys to Target is packed packed packed.